China 's state-run People 's Daily newspaper is known for political correctness rather than a sense of humor .

So when a report surfaced this week that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un had been named the 2012 `` Sexiest Man Alive '' , the self-described mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party cheered its Korean comrade on its website -- only this `` news '' came from satirical U.S. website , The Onion .

China is North Korea 's major ally and aid provider . Reporting something flattering on Kim must have been considered politically correct . Its website editors even built a gallery of photos to accompany the report , with slides featuring Kim riding a horse , inspecting troops and being hugged by female soldiers .

While the item spiced up the usually staid pages of the website , it led to wave of sniggering as international media lampooned Chinese state media for being fooled by a bogus report from a well-known purveyor of offbeat humor and satire .

Was the omniscient People 's Daily really this gullible or was it the work of a mischievous insider with a penchant for satire ?

On Wednesday , a woman who took our call at the website 's office in Beijing insisted that it was `` impossible that the People 's Daily would quote from any unreliable media -- we do verify our news and sources . ''

The woman , who declined to identify herself , said the story and pictures had been removed a day after being posted .

But the damage had been done and The Onion was relishing the publicity .

`` Please visit our friends at the People 's Daily in China , a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion , '' read its statement . `` Exemplary reportage , comrades . ''

Chinese micro-bloggers could n't resist getting in on the act too .

`` The world was fooled by the People 's Daily , because no Chinese believes this paper , '' wrote @Hai_Dao_Wu_Bian .

So the Chinese have a sense of humor ?

Christopher Rea , who is writing a book on the cultural history of humor in modern China , says the Chinese have `` a robust sense of the farcical and the absurd , as well as a keen appreciation of watching those in power screw up . ''

Rea , a scholar at the Australian Center on China in the World , says `` the Chinese sense of humor runs the same gamut as elsewhere . ''

Linda Jaivin , a veteran China-watcher and co-author of `` New Ghosts Old Dreams , '' a book on Chinese literature and culture , said Beijing people 's sense of humor tends to be `` very topical , political and satirical . ''

When a giant statue of Confucius suddenly appeared in Tiananmen Square , not far from Mao 's iconic portrait early last year , tongues wagged about what it all signified politically -- was Confucius back to dislodge Mao as China 's spiritual leader ?

The statue was moved off the square just as abruptly a few weeks later , prompting some in political circles to joke that the venerated sage , who hailed from rural Shandong , had been busted for not having a Beijing residence permit .

For centuries political satire has been a staple for much of Chinese humor , and remains so during the Communist era .

In the 1980s , when the first signs of official corruption related to economic reform began appearing , humorists cleverly minted ditties like these :

`` I 'm a big official , so I eat and drink , eat and drink ... ''

`` It 's not my money we 're spending after all , so eat and be merry and let 's have a ball ! ''

Nowadays , Chinese writers , artists , cartoonists , comedians and netizens resort to humor and satire to mock , question , challenge and document social phenomena , events and incidents .

`` A lot of Chinese humor is pun-based and probably always has been , '' said Jaivin , who speaks Chinese fluently . `` The Chinese language is exceptionally rich in homonyms and is ripe for punning . ''

Much of it can be lost in translation but some does overcome any linguistic limits .

When some Beijing residents nicknamed the new Koolhaus-designed office complex of CCTV , China 's flagship television network , `` da kucha '' -LRB- the Big Underpants -RRB- , for its resemblance to underwear , the government tried to give it a nicer sounding moniker .

`` So they tried ` zhichuang ' -- Window on Knowledge , '' recalled Jaivin . `` Catchy but worse , because as Beijing funsters worked out in about a microsecond , it 's also a homonym for hemorrhoid . ''

The Chinese sense of humor has also become more global , Rea said , citing the `` E'gao phenomenon '' of spoofing and parody on the Internet that started in 2005 and is still popular , especially among tech-savvy youths .

`` It draws strongly on international influences , down to the images , sounds , and texts used in video mash-ups , '' he said .

So if Chinese humor is so robust , why did the editors at the People 's Daily get duped ?

`` Maybe because many Chinese editors and journalists lack good knowledge of journalism and English so they find it hard to spot satire , '' suggested a graduate student in journalism in Beijing . `` Maybe because there is so much fake news and they lack the ability to distinguish real news from the fake . ''

Rea blamed the `` pervasive plagiarism of foreign news outlets in the Chinese official news media , combined with shoddy quality control or fact checking . ''

Is there a serious lesson to be learned here ?

`` The primary lesson that all journalists -- not just Chinese -- should draw from this is that all information needs to be verified before it is published , '' said Richard Hornik , a lecturer in journalism at Stony Brook University , who once covered China for Time Magazine .

`` Since new media such as Weibo , Facebook and Twitter have made all of us publishers in the digital era , all responsible citizens should verify information before they publish , forward , ` like ' or retweet it . ''

How embarrassed should the People 's Daily be ?

`` Extremely , '' quipped Jaivin . `` That said , I do hope no one gets sent to a labor camp over it . ''

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Chinese news site lampooned after taking an Onion satire for a real story

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Onion reported that North Korea 's Kim Jong-Un was `` sexiest man of 2012 ''

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The joke belies a strong sense of humor in China , China watchers say

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Chinese writers , artists , cartoonists use satire to mock , question , challenge